Come Indulge for a Cause with Us!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is excited to invite you to the annual, two-day chocolate celebration that has transformed into a true San Francisco staple. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival hosts over 50 vendors, culinary demos by top dessert professionals, a Silent Auction, and the popular Chocolate & Wine Pavilion. The best part? 100% of the profits from this event are donated to San Francisco non-profit, Project Open Hand.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival 2015

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DAYS

Come Indulge for a Cause with Us!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is excited to invite you to the annual, two-day chocolate celebration that has transformed into a true San Francisco staple. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival hosts over 50 vendors, culinary demos by top dessert professionals, a Silent Auction, and the popular Chocolate & Wine Pavilion. The best part? 100% of the profits from this event are donated to San Francisco non-profit, Project Open Hand.

Purchase Tickets

Event Details

Ghirardelli Chocolate & Wine Pavilion: Come sip and savor premium samples from local wineries and gourmet dessert vendors in the heart of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival. This new and exclusive area of the event will require an additional 'Pavilion' ticket good for even more gourmet tastings, so unwind, relax, and try something new! Only open for Festival guests 21 years and older.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Earthquake Ice Cream Eating Contest: A Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival Tradition! Festival attendees compete or just witness the hilarity as six lucky people eat the famous Ghirardelli 'Earthquake' Sundae as fast as they can without hands. Battling each other and their own stomachs, competitors are sure to make this experience a memorable (and delicious) one. Children also compete with a smaller version of the famous Earthquake Sundae. There are three competitions on both Saturday and Sunday.

Chocolate School- 'From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate Bar': Come join Ghirardelli's own 'Chocolate Professor', Steve Genzoli, as he teaches 'Chocolate School' and takes audience members through a tour of the delicious chocolate making process. Learn every step a bean takes to become that mouth watering chocolate bar from Ghirardelli's VP of Research & Development and Quality Assurance.

Chef Demonstrations: Local culinary professionals work their delicious magic on both Saturday and Sunday at the Culinary Stage at the Festival. Be engaged in all things chocolate and learn the inside scoop on many delectable delights. Learning has never tasted so good!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival Silent Auction to benefit Project Open Hand: First developed in 2012, the auction proved to be a success with the Festival guest and raised additional funds for Project Open Hand. In 2015 our goal is to double the quantity of premium offerings from restaurants, hotels, the travel industry and vendors.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Ghirardelli Chocolate Culinary Stage | West Plaza

12pm-12:30pm- Chef Demonstration TBD

1pm-1:30pm- Steve Genzoli, Ghirardelli Chocolate School

2:30pm-3:00pm- Ghirardelli Ice Cream Eating Contest

4:00pm-4:30pm- Chef Demonstration TBD

Silent Auction | Beach Street

12pm-3:30pm—Bidding

3:30pm-5:00pm—Money collected. Gifts distributed.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Ghirardelli Chocolate Culinary Stage | West Plaza

12pm-12:30pm- Chef Demonstration TBD

1pm-1:30pm- Steve Genzoli, Ghirardelli Chocolate School

2:30pm-3:00pm- Ghirardelli Ice Cream Eating Contest

4:00pm-4:30pm- Chef Demonstration TBD

Silent Auction | Beach Street

12pm-3:30pm—Bidding

3:30p-5:00pm—Money collected. Gifts distributed.

Become a Volunteer

The success of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival would not be possible without the time and effort put in by our fabulous Project Open Hand and Ghirardelli Chocolate Company volunteers.

Project Open Hand provides meals to homebound, critically ill senior citizens, and those living with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco and the Bay Area. For only $2.00, Project Open Hand can provide a warm meal to someone in need. In the last three years, the Festival raised over $185,000 translating into over 92,000 meals.

Help us raise even more funds and provide even more meals to those who truly need it.

If you or your company would like to volunteer for the 20th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival, please visit Project Open Hand's volunteer site at http://www.openhand.org/join-us/volunteer/ .

Please be sure to specify the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival, and include your name, age, phone number, and volunteer availability.

Become a Vendor

Vendor Registration for the 20th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival will open in February 2015! If you or your company would like to reserve your space, please contact festival@ghirardelli.com

Become a Sponsor

Press Inquiries

Each year, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival partners with Project Open Hand, a local organization that provides meals to the homebound critically ill, senior citizens, and those living with HIV/AIDS. In the last three years, the festival raised over $185,000 for Project Open Hand. That's 92,000 meals to those in need! For more information about Project Open Hand, visit their website at www.OpenHand.org.

HISTORY OF THE GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

See where it all began...

In 1849, Domingo Ghirardelli immigrated to the United States from his homeland of Italy with dreams of striking it rich in the California Gold Rush. After trying his hand and failing at mining, he opened a tent-store in nearby Stockton, CA, selling various supplies and confections to fellow miners. After relocating to San Francisco, he founded a new confectionery company called Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. In 1893, the company moved to what is now known as Ghirardelli Square.

Today, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company has built on its signature taste and time-honored manufacturing processes to become America's premium chocolate company.

With such a significantly historical part of our heritage beautifully located in the heart of San Francisco's waterfront, it makes perfect sense to throw a chocolate festival where it all began. Festival goers have the chance to experience the latest chocolate trends all while surrounding themselves in the rich history of America's longest operating chocolate company. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival started in 1996, and has been a hit every year since. Due to the overwhelming success, the festival has extended down to Beach Street and not only occupies the Plaza in the Square, but a full San Francisco block.